Kickstarted Potato Salad Joke Turned Charity

I think we all remember the Potato Salad on Kickstarter that made headlines a short while ago. Most people believed the creator Zack “Danger” Brown from Columbus, Ohio would just take the pledges and be a happy man.

That is however not the case, the taking the money part at least. I’m pretty sure he is a happy man about himself right now. The proceeds from the Kickstarter campaign will be put to good use, namely founding PotatoStock, a philanthropic music festival featuring “gallons” of potato salad. The festival that will be held on September 27 in Columbus sounds like a hoot if you’re in Cowtown.

The really interesting thing is how Brown turned a joke into something real and truly noble. He’s also gained the support of the Columbus Clippers, C-Town’s local baseball team , as well as a number of high-profile sponsors such as Hellmanns.

Brown announced that he’s holding the event at Columbus Commons, an excellent spot. “It’s in Downtown Columbus, and this has been a Columbus thing from the beginning,” he told the Dispatch.

PotatoStock itself will feature music and, naturally, potato salad (which costs money) but Brown is donating most of the proceeds to create a fund at the Columbus Foundation. “This will create a permanent fund to help Central Ohio’s non-profits end hunger and homelessness,” he wrote. “These types of funds gain interest every year and grow over time, so, while our little internet joke will one day be forgotten, the impact will be felt forever.”

While Brown originally seemed to be trolling all of us with his delicious potato salad, a lot of good has come from his project. He hasn’t lost his sense of humour and neither have his backers and, more importantly, he’s giving things back to the community.

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Meanwhile my gag kickstarter netted me 23 quid to draw a picture, and I’m keeping every penny (minus what I need for the crayons).
If I got more I’d donate some of it to charity, but with an amount this low it kinda feels like an insult. Especially as I have KS fees and stuff to come off it yet…